I can't believe its December already! Boy what a year it's been for us all. At this time school is finishing up and we are heading into summer holidays until February 2021. We also have the obvious happening ... Christmas!!!!! This month can be a little all over the place with a few unexpected things popping up here and there at the last minute. So having a good supply of already prepared freezer meals and BBQ meats ready to go can be extremely handy. It means there is less pressure to physically cook from scratch each night and I also have a greater flexability in selections if plans change unexpectedly with everything that happens during this time. Lucky for me, due to my constant bulk food prepping and freezer stockpiling, I have that exact solution!
This fortnight , just like the previous couple of fortnights I'm able to meal plan my main dinners completely from what I already have on hand. That means I don't have to spend money on extra ingredients and raw meats, which in turn keeps me well under my budget. THAT is a wonderful choice to have, as it means I can put my savings there towards Christmas, summer activities and vacations. So if you normally find yourself struggling to cover needs during December, perhaps keep all of this in mind for next year. It will relieve a huge amount of stress :)
My general rule for setting a grocery budget is $70 per adult (persons aged 14yrs+ because we all know that teenagers eat as much as adults at this point!) and $50 per child (under 14yrs) in the household is the main grocery shop budget for a fortnight. I feel no matter where you are living in Australia - city, country or coastal states - it's a fair $ goal for your budget. For us that is $240 for the main shop in the first week - BUT personally I am trying to hit $200 if I can. I wont feel too bad though just as long as I'm under my $240.
I then have a flat $70 for the top up shop in the second week of the fortnight. I base that off what ever I set per adult. So in total that is $310 for the fortnight for my family of 4.
Keeping all this mind my budget for my main shop is $240. I’m currently estimating that I will spend around $176, so be sure to watch the matching grocery haul to see if I stay under budget !
Some tools I used to do my meal planning were:
(VIP's use the shop code found on the private Facebook Group to download FREE)
- 4pk Monthly Meal Planner + Shop Your Pantry Meal Ideas + 40 Dinner Theme Night Idea's + Blank Family Favorite Meals Sheet - INSTANT DOWNLOAD
- A Easy Grocery Calculator - INSTANT DOWNLOAD
- 2pk Grocery List Budget + Grocery & Meal Planning Wish List - INSTANT DOWNLOAD
- Lunch Box Meal Planner - INSTANT DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE
- Daily Meal Planner For The Busy - INSTANT DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE
Print out these using the VIP shop code found on the Facebook Group!
.
So that is where I'm at this week. Be sure to check out the matching grocery haul vlog if you want to see what I got and how I went with staying within my budget.